1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of preparing a carbon-nanotube based composite material and, more particularly, to a method of preparing a carbon nanotube/polymer composite material.
2. Description of Related Art
Since the report of their discovery in 1991 by Iijima, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been extensively studied for their interesting structural, physio-chemical, mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical properties. Many potential technological applications have been proposed including hydrogen storage, nanoelectronic devices, field emission display (FED), field emission microscopy (FEM), chemical sensors, and so on. Carbon nanotubes are considered desirable, at least in part, due to their unique electrical and mechanical properties. Currently, the study of carbon nanotube/polymer composite materials is gaining significant attention. Such a nanotube-reinforced composite material has board applications because of good antistatic performance, microwave absorbing capability, electromagnetic shielding ability, and so on.
Generally speaking, a carbon nanotube/polymer composite material has been prepared via an in-situ polymerization process, solution compounding process, and/or a melt compounding process.
However, a carbon nanotube/polymer composite material prepared by the above-mentioned processes tend to have a relatively higher resistance value. Furthermore, relatively poor conductivity network is formed among carbon nanotubes. Such high resistance and poor conductivity is essentially a product of a lack of connectivity between a significant number of proximate carbon nanotubes. Therefore, the good electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity properties of carbon nanotubes has heretofore not, on the whole, been sufficiently utilized in nanotube-based composites.
What is needed, therefore, is a method of preparing a carbon nanotube/polymer composite material, in which carbon nanotubes have desirable interconnection.